Dragon Bond
by Sundiel260
Summary: "Look, finding a dragon, that's the easy part. Taming and bonding with a dragon however is the hardest part." "How hard?" "Hard like using the worlds most uncomfortable rock as a pillow to sleep on each night." "... That's, pretty hard."
1. Run In

2005

~X~

 _"_ _And that's when I bit their arm! I bit so hard, my tooth fell out! See?"_

 _Ford smiled as his great niece smiled widely, pointing to the gap where the tooth was missing. "Yes, yes. That's quite an achievement you got there Mabel." He chuckled, patting the girl on the head. But the good mood didn't last long and he was soon frowning. "Mabel, why exactly did you bite them?" His frown deepened as Mabel turned her gaze to the floor, kicking one leg out and back. "Mabel." He bent down on one knee, placing a hand under the five year olds chin and lifted her head slightly till she was looking at him. "I need answers Mabel. I know you have them."_

 _Mabel bit the inner layer of her cheek, adverting her gaze to anywhere but her great uncle's face._

 _"_ _Mabel."_

 _"…"_

 _"_ _What was that? Can you say it just a bit louder please?"_

 _"…_ _They were making fun of Dipper."_

 _Ah. Now it made sense to Ford. "So you decided to bite them instead of doing the more reasonable thing?"_

 _Mabel nodded her head, still keeping her eyes away from Ford._

 _"_ _Mabel. Mabel, sweetie, look at me."_

 _Reluctantly, Mabel slowly lifted her eyes till they locked on to Ford's._

 _"_ _Mabel, what you did was not the right thing to do. You don't go biting people." Ford said with a stern tone. "For one thing, it's not nice. Another thing is that biting people does_ not _solve anything."_

 _"_ _I know Grunkle Ford." Mabel dejectedly glanced to the side._

 _"…_ _however." Ford started, gaining Mabel's attention. "I can see there was a good reason behind such action. Yes, it was good that you defended Dipper." He smiled warmly, pushing some strands of lose hair behind Mabel's ear, encouraging a small smile out of the young girl. "But it was still wrong that you bit someone. I'll let this slide for now Mabel, but next time that this happens again, come find me or Stan to take care of it." The smile quickly turned into a frown. "… Or maybe you should just come to me instead. I'm not too sure that Stanley would do such a good job in handling such situations."_

 _A series of small giggles erupted from the young girl, in turn making her great uncle smile softly and join in._

 _"_ _Now then, go and play with your brother. I'm sure that he'll be glad to see you." He lifted his niece up off the chair, setting her down on the floor and took off once he released his grip on her._

 _"_ _Not too sure of what I'll do, eh?" Ford jumped a bit before sighing and straightening himself as he stood._

 _"_ _Well, you're not really someone who's very predictable Stanley." He chuckled, glancing at his brother who bore a remarkable resemblance to his features. There slight differences between the two besides their clothing, (he liked to were simple clothes such as a red knit long sleeved wool shirt tucked into the brown pants with heavy boots and a sleeveless vest over the shirt while his brother tended to wear clothes of high price such as the white silk shirt, black steamed pressed pants and flat heel brown shoes), such as the cleft in Ford's chin, the five o'clock shadow under Stan's eyes, the light grey stripe in Fords hair, a slight wrinkle in Stan's nose, but the major difference between the two was the extra finger on both of Ford's hands._

 _"_ _Got that right poindexter!" Stan chuckled, leaning off against the house. "Can't be too predictable for anythin'. How else am I supposed to keep the business runnin'?" He gestured to their home, smiling widely before it cracked and fell away. "What's with the long face Ford? Somethin' on your mind?"_

 _Ford glanced away from his twin, crossing his arms tightly against his chest. "Stan…" He sighed, looking at Stan straight into his eyes. "I think it's time we move again."_

 _"_ _WHAT?!" Ford cringed. He expected Stan to shout out, but it always left one ear ringing for a while when he did. "Move?! Are ya KINDIN' me Sixer?! We've been livin' here fer 'bout six months now, an' yer tellin' me that we have ta move now?!" Stan ranted, stomping over to his twin, throwing his arms wildly in the air._

 _Ford cringed again. He knew that Stan's jersey accent only got thicker and more demonstrative when his twin was angry with him. "Stanley—"_

 _"_ _NO! Don' ya go Stanley me mista!" He jabbed a finger to Ford's chest. "Six whole months Ford! Six whole hot bangle waffle months! That's the longes' we've ever stayed in one place! I thought ya finally gotten over yer paranoia slick!" Stan grabbed a fistful of his hair. "Do ya even_ **know** _how many times we hada move 'cause of ya?!"_

 _"_ _We only had to move because of the twins." Ford tried to stay calm, hoping to reason with his twin. He didn't like arguing with his brother when he was angry._

 _"_ _Yeah, the first few months of movin' I could understand." Stan snorted. "But FIVE exact years of movin' place ta place?! It's just plain dumb poindexter!"_

 _"_ _W-we've stayed at a few places." Ford shrugged sheepishly, grinning slightly, hoping it was enough to defuse his brother's temper._

 _"_ _Till ya decide ta move us 'gain." Stan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, exhaling sharply. "… What's the reason this time?"_

 _Ford blinked. "W-what?"_

 _"_ _Each time we moved, there was always a reason." Stan glanced at Ford, dragging his hand down his face. "Sometimes they're serious one's an' sometimes they're just plain paranoia. What's the reason now?"_

 _"…"_ _Ford sighed. His shoulders drooped. "Mabel bit a child that was making fun of Dipper."_

 _Stan blinked. "… That's it?"_

 _"_ _That's it."_

 _Stan groaned, rolling his eyes at the elder twin as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Sixer, really. It's common for girls her age to bite someone… I think. It's no reason to get all paranoid an' make us pack our bags an' hit the road just 'cause Mabel bit someone—"_

 _"_ _She bit hard enough that her teeth broke through the skin of the child's arm."_

 _Silence hung between the two as they stared at one another._

 _"…_ _Screamin'?"_

 _"_ _Yes."_

 _"_ _Blood?"_

 _"_ _Plenty of it."_

 _"_ _Stitches?"_

 _"_ _A high possibility."_

 _"_ _Cops?"_

 _"_ _I'm pretty sure that I was able to evade anyone from seeing my face and avoid being seen by the police on the run back here." Ford hummed, rubbing his chin in thought. "Though, just to be sure, you probably want to avoid going anywhere near the playground and going into town is probably out of the option."_

 _"_ _Jeez louise, Ford." Stan sighed, covering his face in one hand. "Just when the kids started to settle in too. Alright, I'll start packin' while ya get the kids."_

 _"_ _Maybe I should pack this time." Ford laid a hand on Stan's shoulder. "You're better with words than me. You can break the news to them more softly then I ever could. Besides, I need to pull some weight around here. I can't let you go do all the heavy lifting on your own."_

 _"_ _Hey, just 'cause I do most of the work 'round here doesn't mean you're the lazy one here." Stan snapped back, but smiled softly. "Ya do plenty of work of your own with all that science stuff ya like so much."_

 _"_ _Stanley!" Ford chuckled, ruffling Stan's hair into a mess as the younger twin just laughed and walked away. "Oh! And just a heads up! Mabel lost a tooth today so be ready for an ear full!" Ford called after his brother._

 _A flash of pride crossed Stan's face. "Why didn't ya say so earlier poindexter?!" Stan chuckled, picking up his speed as he called out the younger Pines twins._

 _Ford smiled to himself, watching his brother disappear from his view and relaxed. Twisting around, he headed off towards the house. He needed to start packing. Who knew when the police would pick up on his trail and track him down to here? The sooner he started packing, the better. Once they were all packed up, they would be off and out of sight before anyone knew it._

 _But where would they go? Picking this place was easy because of the thick woods surrounding this place and far from any nearby towns and had a very low notice ratings thanks to the small population here. Now Ford had to find_ another _place that had low notice ratings, a small population that had around twenty or thirty people, and an area that had plenty of thick woods for them to live in. But where would any place like that be?_

 _Stan was banded from most of the states before the twins came into their care, so it would be harder for him to find the right place for them all to live in. He could try using his magic to alter some rules and bend them a bit so Stan could set foot in the states again, but last time he did that he got a week long splitting headache from it. So that was defiantly out of the question._

 _So where was the best place to go?_

~X~

June 1, 2012

~X~

Pacifica Northwest was _not_ having the best of days. First, her favorite dress was ruined. Then her riding dragon ran off. And now she was completely lost in the woods with no clue to where she was heading or which direction she needed to go to.

"Stupid trees. Stupid mud. Ugh! Stupid leaves! If I could sue this whole forest I would in a heartbeat!" Pacifica huffed, brushing the leave off her high priced lavender dress. "Ugh! Dario! Dario! Come on you stupid dragon where are you?!" She shouted out, pushing back a hedge of bushes and growled when there was no sight of her dragon behind them. "Dario! Come on! This is _SO_ like, not funny!" She huffed, stomping off again in a different direction.

It had been over an hour since her dragon, Dario, had taken off into the forest that her parents and many others had forbidden anyone to go into. It was full of wild dragons and dangerous creatures that were too wild to tame without losing a limb first. However, Pacifica wouldn't be dissuaded by old folk tales or some stupid rules. Dario was **her** riding dragon. Her best one yet after ten others. Not to mention that it cost around three clear gems to get a Tiger Stripe Black Clawed Dragon, and she was in no mood to get another one any time soon.

"Dario! DA! RI! O! Come on! Mom and dad are going to ground me for life if you don't come out this instant!" She stomped her foot down, glancing to and fro and steamed when there was still no sight of her dragon anywhere to be found. "This is sooo lame!" She huffed, placing her hands on her hip, looking around again before her eyes landed on something shining on the ground.

Going over to it, she carefully picked the item off the ground, examining it before smiling. It was a crystal bell with her family's insignia on it. Dario had crystal bells decorated on their saddle, so they must have gone along here some time ago. If that was so then there should be some indication to where Dario went. She didn't need to look very far. Another bell was a few feet away from her standing point, along with a footprint. A determined smile crossed her face. She was on the right path.

Sure the saddle may be ruined with one or two bells missing, but her butlers could sow the bells she could find back on again. "When I find you Dario, you are in a world of trouble." Pacifica vowed, putting both bells inside her belt bag and started to head in the general idea direction that was leading her to her dragon.

~X~

A clear crystal bell laid out in the open, catching the rays of the sun that gleamed off its surface and shone like a bright shining star. But the light was gone in seconds as a hand reached down and picked up the bell.

Dipper Pines smiled to himself, examining the bell in his hand before tucking it into his bag. He was finding a lot of these in the forest quite quickly. Maybe it was a good thing that the dragon ran straight instead of all over. He should be able to find them all in no problem and be able to head back in no time at all. Just a quick little search and pick up, then they would be on their way again.

He quickly spotted another bell by some bushes and headed over to it. He reached out to grab it and add it to his growing collection but his eyes were adverted by some noise behind him. Glancing behind him, he relaxed as a blue jay flew out of the trees. False alarm. There was nothing to worry about.

Sighing in relief, it took his more than what should have taken his to realize that his hand didn't feel the hard surface of a bell. Quickly, he glanced down, finding his hand on top of another hand that was covered by a purple glove. Glancing up, his brown eyes met with deep blue. Dipper was frozen as the girl, a _human_ girl, stared at him. Silence hung between them before the girl broke it by shooting him a dark look.

"Hey! That's _my_ bell that you're—"

Dipper screamed. Quickly, he took off, heading off to the direction where his sister and the dragon where waiting for him. "Ohmanohmanohmanohman! What's a **human** doing here in the forest?!" He jumped over a fall log. "No one ever goes into the forest except dragons!" Rounding a tree, he picked up the pace. "Gotta get to Mabel! Gotta make sure that she's safe!" He ducked under a branch. "Have to get back to the shack!" He hardly registered any of the smaller dragons watching him run. "MABEL!"

There. There she was. Still petting the Tiger Stripe Black Clawed Dragon right where he left her in the first place. "Mabel!" He ran through the bushes, rushing towards his twin. "Mabel! We have to go! Now!" He grabbed one of her arms, tugging on her shawl (pink with a red butterfly flying across it).

"Dipper? What's gotten you so riled up bro-bro?" Mabel asked him, tilting her head slightly. "Did you find all the bells at least?"

"Forget about the bells!" He tugged harder. "We have to get back to the shack right now!"

"Whoa whoa whoa! Calm down Dipper!" Mabel yanked her arm out of her brother's grip. "Why do we need to head back to the shack? Is there a rouge dragon following you?"

"Worse!" Dipper threw his hands up in the air. "It's a human!"

"Soos?" Mabel smiled widely.

"… Mabel, Soos isn't the only human out there you know."

"I know. But he's the only person that Grunkle Ford allows in the shack!"

"Only because Grunkle Stan persuaded him to do so!"

"Come on! You know old Fordsie warmed up to him."

"He only warmed up to Soos three years after Stan promised to keep an eye on him so that he didn't do anything suspicious in the shack."

"And he proved to be a good person!"

"We were lucky that Great Uncle Ford didn't have us move again." Dipper huffed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "You know how he gets when he thinks the shack's been found by other people. We moved _seven whole times_ when we were still four years old! Just because some stranger or a neighbor found the house." He shrugged, looking up at the sky.

" _Seven_ times?"

Dipper froze.

"Wow, that's one paranoid person."

"Yep!" Mabel beamed as Dipper quickly turned around and tensed. "That's our Grunkle for ya!"

"Whatever." The girl from earlier scoffed, stepping out for behind the bushes. "Look, that Tiger Stripe Black Clawed Dragon right there that you're petting?" She pointed at the dragon. "That's _my_ Tiger Stripe Black Clawed Dragon. Here Dario!" She placed two fingers in her mouth and let out a high whistle.

Dipper backed away from the girl as the dragon, Dario, went over to the girl. "L-look we don't want any trouble from you, uh, lady." He stood tall beside his twin, watching the girl with careful precision in case she did anything.

"The name is Pacifica. Pacifica Northwest." The girl, Pacifica, pointed out as she petted her dragon on the head. "And you're lucky that I'm in a good mood or otherwise I would be suing the both of you right now."

"… Suing?" Dipper repeated, tilting his head in confusion.

"Hiya Pacifica! My name's Mabel! And this here is my brother Dipper!" Mabel cut in, wrapping an arm around Dipper and pulled him into a side hug. "And yes, we are indeed twins!"

"Mabel! We're not supposed to be giving our names to strangers! Remember what Great Uncle Ford said about talking to other humans besides Soos!"

"That we shouldn't do that and we should run straight back to the shack immediately if we're spotted by a dangerous looking person. I know." Mabel sighed. "But look at her Dipper!" She held out a hand. "Pacifica doesn't look dangerous! There's nothing about her that says she's dangerous at all. Just a normal human being with her riding dragon."

"I'll have you know that I took karate class since I was five." Pacifica huffed, mounting on her dragon. "And I'm a black belt."

"I would try to understand that if I could." Dipper deadpanned, pulling out of his sister's grasp. "Look, why are you even here in the woods in the first place anyway? Not most people come out here."

"I should be asking you the same thing." Pacifica shot back. "I only came in here because _someone_ decided to run off here and leave me behind." She shot a glare at Dario. "I had to go in and look all around for him and look what that did to my dress!" She held up the side of her clothes where a large noticeable tear was. "It's ruined! And it was my favorite too."

"I could fix it up for you!" Mabel offered. "I'm good at making dresses! I even make my own shawls each day to wear!"

"Mabel, we're probably already in enough trouble just by talking to Pacifica here." Dipper placed a hand on his sister's shoulder. "I don't think you should involve yourself with this any longer."

"But, Dipper."

"We should go. Uncle Ford might call us soon if we don't head back now." He started to pull his twin along. "And _you_ should be heading back to your place too."

"I _would_ , but I have no clue on where to go from here." Pacifica huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, you should head that way." Dipper pointed off to one direction as he kept pulling Mabel along. "That's the usual direction Stan takes to head into town to grab supplies. Maybe if you head that way you might find the town."

Pacifica glanced at the direction he pointed at. "… Hump. Thanks, I guess." With that, she click the reins and headed off on her dragon.

Dipper watched as Pacifica's form disappeared from his view in the thick trees. "Alright, let's go before—OW! What was that for?!" He shot his sister a glare, rubbing his sore arm.

"What was _that_ all about?!" Mabel glared at him. "That was _super_ rude of you Dipper!"

"Rude? _Me?_ Mabel, did you not see the way she was glaring at us? The way she _talked_ to us? She was a complete snob towards us!"

"You don't know that! You've never interacted with other people other than Soos!"

"Well Soos acts much nicer than that!"

"That's not the point Dipper! The point is that Pacifica wasn't anything like how Grunkle Ford described people to be! She was short, didn't have any weapons on her, her skin was clean as clean can be, her clothes were okay. Plus she smelled nice too!"

"Mabel, didn't you learn anything from Great Uncle Ford? Looks can be deceiving. Yeah she was short, her clothes were… eh, and she did smell nice and clean, but she could have been hiding her weapons and she did say that she knew karate and a black belt! Whatever that means."

"Dipper, Dipper, Dipper. You don't know that."

"And you don't know that either! How can you be so optimistic and not try to see the possible danger around her?"

"Because I try to see the best in everyone! And Grunkle Stan says that the best way to swipe money from someone is to pick their pockets clean when they're not looking!"

"… That is the worst words of wisdom I have ever heard. Now we really should be heading back to the shack before—"

His sentence was cut off by a distant scream.

"What was that?!"

"It sounded like—"

"PACIFICA!"

~X~

"Stay back! I'm warning you!" Pacifica warned, pressing herself against Dario's side, holding a stick she managed to pick up in both hands held high above her head. "You! Y-you stay away from us you hear me!"

In some cases, there would be times that Pacifica would put on a brave front in certain situations, but this had certainly broke through her brave face. Especially concerning the fact that it was a wild enraged Hyper Curve Horn Bullhog Dragon. She had read about these types of dragons before. They were tough, hard skinned, and, worst of all, had never been known to back down from a fight or leave a victim alive.

Especially the Hyper Curve Horns. They were the most deadly of all.

She glanced at Dario, feeling her guts twist in sorrow. Her poor dragon, taking a full blown hit to the side. Tiger Stripe Black Clawed Dragons had tough scales, but a blow from a Hyper Curve Horn Bullhog Dragon was sure to have cracked a rib or two.

Snapping her focus back on the Hyper Horn, she swallowed back her fear, still keeping the stick pointed at the wild dragon. If she was going down, she was going down with a fight. No one took on Pacifica Northwest and expect her to go down easy.

The wild dragon was impassive about Pacifica's brave front. It was hungry, and it already found an easy meal to make out of the girl and their dragon.

Pacifica held her breath, watching as the Hyper Horn stood at full height and bellowed out a hungry, loud roar. Her heart skipped a few beats as her mind raced. She was going to die. She was going to die here and be some dragon's meal, and no one would know that she died here alone with no one expect her dragon.

"HEY!"

"LEAVE HER ALONE!"

Her eyes snapped off her impending doom over to the two identical forms running towards her. She would have cried, if not for her pried, and call out to the twins, (what were their names again?), to run or get help, but the Hyper Horn spotted them as well and roared fiercely.

It didn't care if two smaller morsels were heading this way, it just meant more food for the dragon. Getting down on all four limbs again, it charged at full speed at the twins.

"Hey! Watch out! You'll get…" Pacifica started, only for her words to slowly die off. It her surprise, the twins, (Dapple and Hazel?), only charged forwards, each grabbing a horn of the wild dragon and with what looked like little effort, **_flipped_** the entire dragon over onto its back.

"Mabel!" The boy twin shouted.

"On it!" The girl twin, Mabel, smiled and gave her brother a thumbs up. She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath, and, to the great surprise of Pacifica, breathed out ice on the Hyper Curve Horn Bullhog Dragon, covering in a thick layer of ice. "Ta-da!" She shouted, holding her hands high in the air.

Pacifica was stunned. Not only did these two twins _flip over_ a massive Hyper Curve Horn Bullhog Dragon, but Mabel was able to encase it in a thick layer of ice! Just by breathing out on it!

"Hey." She jumped a bit, clamping her hold on the stick again and pointed at the boy twin, (Dipper, his name is Dipper), who she didn't see walking up and stand in front of her without acknowledging his presence till the last second.

"You okay? Nothing broken or anything?" He asked monotone.

Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. So in alternative, she shook her head.

"Oh, poor Dario." Pacifica jumped again, twisting around to find Mabel kneeling over Dario and stroking their head softly. "The poor dragon got hurt really bad." Dario let out a low growl, leaning into Mabel's touch.

"… y-yeah. The dragon slammed into him and sent him hitting against a tree."

"Ouch. That's going to hurt for a while." She returned her attention back to Dipper. "But luckily, I don't sense any broken bones in him so he should be good to move again in a few minutes or an hour of resting."

She nodded her head numbly. That was good. Dragons are well known to heal fast from their injures depending on how bad the injury may be. "Wait, what do you mean by sense?"

"Magic." Dipper shrugged, answering like it was the most obvious answer there was.

"Yeah but—"

"DIPPER! MABEL!"

Pacifica went quiet as Dipper glanced away from her with wide eyes. "We better go Mabel. Great Uncle Ford is calling us."

"Aw, phowy. Alright." Mabel got up, walking past Pacifica with a small smile. "Bye Pacifica! It was nice meeting you!" She said in a slight sing song voice before running off.

"Oh, uh, by the way." Pacifica looked back at Dipper, looking at him confused as he held out a small bag. "The rest of your bells are in there. Though you might want them back." She blinked slowly, holding out her hands as the bag fell into them.

"… T-thank you."

"Yeah, yeah. Just, try not to come back in here much. There are bigger dangers than Hyper Curve Horn Bullhog Dragons in this forest." Dipper shrugged. "… See ya!" He saluted before running off after his sister.

"… Bye."

~X~

2005

~X~

 _"…_ _Ford, I swear yer the dumbest genius I know." Stan sighed, readjusting his hold on the sleeping twins in his arms as he looked about the place with a mix of disgust and pity. "Ya couldn't settle for a more kid suitable place to pick as our new home now could ya?" He scoffed, kicking some rotten wood out of the way. "Look at this place! It looks like a rotten tomato turned inside out!"_

 _"_ _I know, I know. It's not the most habitable looking home we've ever moved into." Ford shrugged, placing a box down. "But it was the best deal I could find here! Deep in the woods, far from anyone stumbling on it by mistake. Plus with some hard work I can make it more livable in a day or two." He waved one hand, summoning boxes out of thin air and placed them all on the ground._

 _"…"_ _Stan only sighed, shaking his head. "Fine, but don't go overworkin' yourself with your magic alright? I'm gonna go find a room that's a least bearable to put the twins in." With that, Stan stomped off somewhere, mumbling to himself about nerdy twin brother's and old rotting wood falling down on him._

 _Ford chuckled, pulling out a scrap of clean paper and already setting do the details and improvements he planned for their, hopefully permanent, new home. It was a start, but the first steps were always the hardest and the easiest for Ford to work through. First priority was to make sure that their new home was safe for everyone to live in. That was a work in progress at the moment right now. The second would be trying to find a way to keep his brother occupied so he wouldn't wander off into the nearest town. That would be a tricky one to handle considering how much his twin hated staying cooped up for so long without anything to do._

 _Maybe he could get a TV for this place. Stan did seem to have a large liking to TV when he first saw one, and even introduced it to the younger twins when he got the chance to do so. He even found some channels that were his taste and personality. So TV was defiantly going onto the list of what to get._

 _Third was supplies. Ford could figure out something in the little runs such as food, but clothes were going to be a lot trickier in the future as the kids grew. He really needed to find a solution for that one._

 _"_ _Well." Ford sighed, folding the paper away for now. "It's a start. But it'll have to do for now. It'll have to do, for now."_

* * *

 **Nztrx hkvooh ziv vzhb gl xzhg, yfg urmwimt gsv irtsg wiztlm rh sziw gl xzgxs.**


	2. Mystery

_**2002**_

* * *

 _~X~_

* * *

 _There was a lot in things in life that Stan could and could not understand. The things he could understand were that there were many things that made life hard. 10 years out on his own with nothing but a few useless items in an old scruffy duffle bag and a small handful of gems before his brother found him had taught him that. So he picked up tricks and skills to survive those long years, things that proved to be quite useful in his later years that would provide him and later with his brother, like getting food, getting enough gems for them to live off with for a certain time, shelter from the weather, and protection against people you don't want to mingle with in the dark of the night._

 _At._

 _All._

 _And then there were the things he couldn't understand. Now, Stan knew he wasn't the smart twin, that was his brother's strong point, but there was moments when Stan had to question his twin's ability to see the mistake that he made with his own six fingered hands right in front of him. Starting with the fact that he had just returned to their recently acquired, (hopefully permanent), home to find Ford standing right there, holding both of their young smiling twin nibblings in his arms with the stupidest awkward smile on his face that said 'I-know-what-you're-thinking-right-now-but-I-can-explain-all-of-this', covered head to toe in leaves, twigs, mud and small bruises and scrapes._

 _"…_ _Sixer." He growled lowly while keeping his eyes locked on Ford's eyes. "Why are ya covered in muck?" His voice was slow and cold. Stan knew that Ford loved to go out and take records of the dragons that lived in the area that they would move to. Something about dragon studies or whatnot that he wanted to write down in some book of his._

 _"_ _W-well um, you see Stanley." Ford shuffled his feet on the ground, trying hard to not look at him. "The kids and I were out having a little walk and—"_

 _"_ _GWUNKLE FOWD FOUT A DWAGON GWUNKLE STAN!" Three year old Mabel butted in, raising her chubby little arms in the air in excitement and glee._

 _"_ _Yeah! An it big! It huge!" Dipper joined in with his sister's excitement. "An! An gwunkle Fowd punch it! He punch it hawd!"_

 _"…_ _Oh really?" A brow went up on his face as he crossed his arms against his chest, glaring at his brother who was doing that owlish look on his red blushing face._

 _"_ _Yeah! It amasing!"_

 _"_ _WE DO AGAIN! Wight gwunkle Fowd?" Mabel looked up at Ford with the most innocent eyes. Those big, beautiful, deep brown innocent eyes._

 _"_ _We can?" Dipper copied his sister, his smile taking up most of his face._

 _With both small twins looking at him with those big eyes and smiles, Ford could feel his strong in charge aura fading and his resolve was crumbling just by looking at the two._

 _"_ _Well, uh—"_

 _"_ _No! Never again!" Stan growled, keeping control of his anger around the twins as he stomped over to his brother and took the confused younger twins into his arms. "I can't believe ya Sixer!" He glared at his twin. "How could ya possibly think of brin' our nibblings on such a dangerous thing?! They coulda gotten hurt, or worse!"_

 _"_ _Stanley, I can explain!" Ford held up his hands. "I didn't imagine that they would follow after me when—"_

 _"_ _So ya didn't think that a pair of curious three year olds would follow after ya 'cause you thought they would stay put."_

 _"_ _Exactly! This whole thing could have been avoided if—"_

 _"_ _LISTEN HERE POINDEXTER, AN' LISTEN GOOD!" Stan jabbed a finger at Ford's chest, cutting him off completely. "I don't care what ya think 'bout this! YOU were suppose ta watch them today an' not go runnin' off lookin' for danger! You're lucky that they didn't get hurt or anythin' or otherwise I'd be poundin' ya into the dirt right now!"_

 _"_ _Stanley I-I was careful enough! Besides, I brought them back in one piece—"_

 _"_ _IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!"_

 _"_ _I lost track of time!"_

 _Stan huffed, twisting around and headed off to the stairs._

 _"_ _Where are you going?"_

 _"_ _I'm done talkin' to you today, Stanford." Stan growled out. "I'm takin' the kids an' givin' a bath 'fore I put them to bed." He ignored Ford's stuttering remarks of how it wasn't his fault before he sighed and gave up. They both knew it was pointless to argue with him when the argument was about their small charges._

 _"_ _Gwunkle Stan?"_

 _Stan paused at the top of the stairs, looking down at the twins in his arms._

 _"_ _Awe you angwy at us?" Mabel asked tentatively. She and her twin looked at her uncle with sad eyes that broke Stan's heart in two._

 _Those eyes had an impressive effect on the elder Pines._

 _"_ _No, no, sweetie. I'm not angry at ya, or your brother." Stan spoke calmly, looking at both twins with remorse and regret, smiling softly down at them. "Yer grunkle is just mad at his twin 'cause he was stupid enough to think that ya knuckleheads wouldn't follow him into any danger." He smiled softly, hugging the twins closer to him. "'Sides, you little gremlins are too young to understand that you were headin' into danger with my brother."_

 _"_ _No in twouble?" Dipper asked softly, gripping Stan's shirt in his small hands._

 _"_ _No, yer not in trouble. But I will be keepin' an eye on you two for a while. Don't want the same thin' happenin' twice in a row." He chuckled, seeing small smiles return on their faces. "Now let's clean you two up. Ya both look like a mess!"_

 _"_ _Yaay!"_

 _"_ _Mess!"_

* * *

 _~X~_

* * *

 _ **June 2, 2012**_

* * *

 _~X~_

* * *

"Bullhog Dragons. A fascinating species of dragons. Can live up to an estimated hundred years and mostly live in solitude in large open areas in the woods for territory and are extremely territorial. Once every two years, mature male Bullhog Dragons fight for the right to win territory during the mating season to attract a mate. Most fights with Bullhog Dragons usually ends with one of the fighting males dying and the other the victor. Their main diet mostly consists of fish, small mammals, and on few occasions other dragons. Isn't that fascinating Dipper?"

Dipper nodded, smiling widely. "Oh yes Great-uncle Ford! I can't believe that you've got so much information on the dragons you and Grunkle Stan have seen exploring the world!" He looked at the journal in his uncle's hands, eyeing the worn yellowing pages of the book.

Ford chuckled, shutting the book and placing a hand on top of Dippers head. "It wasn't much of exploring my dear boy. Dragons of different species were all around back then, having different personalities, habitats, diets, powers, and migration patterns that were all around. I just found myself drawn to it. Studying them like no one has done before." He reopened the book, angling it so the pages would turn, showing all the dragons he had researched during his travels. "Of course, that didn't mean that Stan approved of it so much."

"Ya got that right poindexter! Of all the times we went somewhere, it cost us nearly a mountain of gems!"

Ford and Dipper looked up at Stan from across the yard where he and Mabel were filling the last of the feeding mangers. "Honestly!" Stan huffed, dumping the food buckets contents filled with chunked up meat that was only partly cooked into the manger. "No matter where we went, no matter how long we stayed, it _always_ cost us down to the last green gem in our pockets." He shot a glare at his twin, making Ford blush and sink into the old couch. "But _nnnnnoooo_! We jus' _had_ to keep goin'! No matter what or how much it cost!" He turned back to the task filling the feeder, getting the last bits of meat out of the bucket.

"I said I was sorry." Ford mumbled.

"Sorry don't make gems appear Ford." Stan huffed. Finishing dumping the last bits, Stan smiled at Mabel. "Okay sweetie. I think that's good enough."

"Can I let them out now Grunkle Stan?" Mabel beamed, hugging her empty bucket close to her chest. "Can I?"

"Sure you can sweetie! Jus' remember to let out the younger ones first." Stan patted her head before Mabel squealed loudly and darted off towards the far end of the yard where a metal stable stood against the woods that surrounded their home. The stable was an addition Stan had made himself. The first year it was a small work shed that was used for crafting items needed to fix up the shack, but once all necessary requirements were made to make their home suitable enough to live in, the small shed was forgotten momentarily, leaving it to the elements of nature. It wasn't till a few months later that Stan had need of it again, moving out the old items and freshening it up a bit, adding area and more room to the little shed that it was now a nice stable that could house eleven shire horses comfortably and still have plenty of room to move about with ease.

Mabel raced towards the door, taking the latch off and darting inside. "BREAKFAST TIME!" She chimed loudly from inside. Her voice was followed closely by the sound scuffling and rattling of wood and steel bars.

"How many do you think she let out?" Dipper eyed the stable, slightly concerned as he could see it shake and shudder slightly.

"Knowing your sister?" Ford reached into his coat, drawing out a pocket watch from one of the inner pockets and glanced at it. "I'd say… all of them."

The door to the stable flew open as dragons of different types, ranging from being small as a cat to being big as a German shepherd, flew, scurried, and slithered as they raced towards the mangers. They pushed and shoved other dragons that were in the way till they reached their plotted destination, digging into the meal with hunger and ravenous delight. Some dragons ate out from the mangers, some stole food from others, a few took their chunk of their share of the meal and took it elsewhere to eat it, and one dragon, the biggest of the rest, was scooping out large bits of food and dumping it to the ground where it was immediately pounced on by smaller dragons that couldn't reach the manger.

"The thrill of seein' dragons fight over food." Stan chuckled, stepping up onto the porch. "Ya jus' can't ever get enough of it!"

"Thrill for you, and food for them." Ford returned the watch back into its proper place in his coat. "Can't be anything better than that."

"Aaah can it poindexter." Stan winked, playfully punching Ford on the arm. "Ya know you enjoy watchin' them as much as I do."

"That's only slightly true Stanley. But, yes. I do enjoy watching them eat." Ford shrugged, watching his twin lean against the wall next to the couch. "It at least lets me know that they're eating." His eyes turned back to the frenzy. "Even when some of them struggle to."

Ford's eyes landed on a particular dragon, one that sat off to the side on its own, hunched over on all four of its limbs with a slab of meat tuck between its forelimbs. It was thin and sickly looking, the scales on its body were well beyond the healthily sheen look and were horribly chipped, scrapped, and grey dusted toned. Tufts of short fluff had patches of bald spots lining the back spine all the way down to its tail and back feet. The dragon was having trouble tearing the meat and was resorting to chewing on a certain section with just the small bone thin teeth that it had left in its mouth.

"… He's a fighter." Ford blinked, looking at Stan. "Most dragons would be dead long ago with what he has." Stan's eyes were locked on the small dragon, soft and pitying and deep in understanding. "Heh. Jus' goes to show how much ya can underestimate somethin' so much."

Ford stared at Stan, taken back by the sudden change in his mood. "… Stanley—"

"Dipper!"

Dipper looked up from watching the frenzy up to his twin sticking her head out the stable door. "Yeah?"

"A little help here! Wasser is stuck in his stable again!"

"Oh boy." Dipper frowned, slipping off the couch and running over to the stable.

Ford frowned, watching Dipper disappear behind the door with his sister. "I thought you fixed that stable?" He turned his head to glance at Stan.

"I did. Jus' yesterday too." Stan sighed, maneuvering over and taking over Dipper's previous spot on the couch. He took off his glasses, rubbing his face tiredly as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "An' he jus' keeps on breakin' it."

Ford hummed thoughtfully. "He has been doing that ever since you moved him to the stable. Though, in record, it seems that he's grown used to the other dragons now."

Stan scoffed, slipping his glasses back on. "Na, he ain't use to them yet Sixer. He's still too shy and scared of 'em… now that I think of it." He scratched his chin. "Wasser doesn't seem to progress in warmin' up to the other dragons. Which would be in normal situations if it weren't fer his… ya know."

Ford nodded glumly, looking back at the stable as both younger twins began to reemerge, walking out backwards slowly as they kept their focus in front of them, talking quietly and making slow motions with their hands in a beckoning motion. A while later, a snout of a dragon started to poke out from the door, sniffing the ground as a long small head emerged. Deep blue eyes scanned the surrounds, watching the feeding frenzy momentarily before checking the area again. A few silent beats passed before the head slowly went out from the door, followed by the rest of the body.

It was a young male Korean type dragon, mostly around three to four years old of age. His scales were a bright shine of aqua, with an underbelly of a lighter color, and tuffs of white mane trilling along his back starting at the neck and ending halfway at the tails middle. Around their neck was collar of thick metal, with the word WASSER carved into it.

"Still, it's progress." Ford watched as the younger twins lead the young dragon over to the porch. Once they reached the porch, Mabel darted inside as Dipper kept an eye on the young dragon, running his hand down their back in slow motions, whispering soft words to them. "At least he no longer hides from us."

Stan only hummed, leaning back in the sofa as Mabel reemerged with a blow of cut up meat. "If ya say so Sixer. If ya say so."

* * *

 _~X~_

* * *

Her bacon and spinach Stromboli had gone cold ten minutes ago, yet Pacifica could hardly bring herself to really care at the moment. She had hardly touched her food and just stared at it, lost in deep thought. Her memory of her encounter with the twins yesterday was fresh in her mind, remembering over and over again about them.

There was something… off about them. Something that she could put her finger on. Something about them that she couldn't get her mind off of no matter how hard she tried.

And that really was getting on her nerve.

Just thinking about them made her blood boil.

The way they talked to her like she wasn't some rich, well respected person. The way they acted towards her too. Especially that boy. What was his _problem_? Acting so rude to her and giving her those dirty glares. He should know that she could sue him and place him in life time imprisonment. And the girl twin. Mable? Something close to that. She was just so… _bright_.

Too cheery for her taste.

But then again, she had never actually met someone so… silly as her before.

At that moment, something clicked in Pacifica Elise Northwest's mind.

She _never_ met the twins before.

She didn't _know anything_ about them.

Her eyes wandered over to the window, showing the full view of the forest outside. How could that be? How she not know about them? How did she ever miss the fact that there were a pair of twins that not only flip over a giant dragon with no trouble at all, but also not have a clue to who they were or why she never knew about them in the first place?

… She HAD to know.

Getting out of the chair, she hurried along to the lounging room. Her parents were sure to be there doing their daily money counting. Surly they had some information on the twins. They had nearly everything they need to know about anyone in town.

* * *

 _~X~_

* * *

"What?!"

"Indoor voice Pacifica. A lady does not shout inside." Priscilla Northwest scowled at her daughter, never taking her eyes off of her reflection in her mirror.

"But how could you not know _anything_ about them?" Pacifica couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You and dad know just about _everything_ about _everyone_ in this town!"

"Everything except the two you described." Priscilla glanced from her mirror to Pacifica. "I never heard of a pair of twins living in the town. Nor did I have any type of information regarding such a pair." She fell silent for a moment. "Why would you need to know such a thing?"

"Well…" Pacifica looked at the floor uncomfortably, rubbing her arm. She wanted to know about the twins as much as she could, but she never told her parents about what had happened yesterday. If her parents knew that she went into the forest and got attacked by a Hyper Curve Horn Bullhog Dragon… "It's just… yesterday when I was out on my daily ride with Dario, I saw a pair of twins playing at the forest edge. When I got closer, the boy twin spotted me and well, they went running into the forest."

" _Into_ the forest?!" Her mother gasped, sitting up from the expensive sofa. "Why that's _suicide_! They must have known of the forests dangers! It's full of wild creatures and monstrous dragons!"

"That's what I thought too, but the boy said something about a…" She tried remembering what the male twin of the pair had said. "A… shack?"

Priscilla blinked. "… A shack?"

"Yeah. That's what I heard."

"… Interesting… Pacifica darling, do you know _where_ you encountered these twins at?"

"I don't know. Everything looks the same to me." That wasn't a lie. She really had no clue to where she had encountered the twins in the forest. She knew that she met them far in, but they went in deeper after they left.

"Hmm. That's… peculiar." Priscilla tapped her chin, knitting her brows in deep thought. "The only shack that's known in this small hobble of a town is the one that's run by that old cheapskate. What was his name again? I know it starts with an S… Scott, Sean, Steven, Saul, Steve, Seth, Shawn—"

"Stan?"

"Ah! Yes! Stan! That's it. I remember running into him at one point in town. An oddball that one. Had two dragons at his heels and had a bit of a jersey accent. He swiped two purple gems right out of my pocket that day while I wasn't looking. He runs a small shack full of companion dragons that he sells to travelers. I think he calls that place the Dragons Den." Priscilla looked back at her mirror. "It's over near the forests edge I think. But that's all I know about him… in fact… I think that's all that anyone knows about him."

"What? But, how could anyone not know much about him? He's lived here as long as you and dad right?"

Priscilla hummed in thought, placing her mirror down. "Well… now that I think about it, no he hasn't. The Dragons Den opened somewhere about six or seven years ago. That was the time that man had come to live here in Gravity Falls. Other than that, he's a man of complete mystery."

"But—" Pacifica started before a butler with his dragon came in.

"Mrs. Northwest? The limo is ready."

"Excellent." Priscilla got up from the sofa, walking past her daughter as she took out her hand mirror. "Any longer and I would have fired you Watson."

"Yes my lady."

"But mom—"

"Not now Pacifica. I don't want to talk anymore about commoners for today. Go do… eh, whatever it is you do in your free time." And with that, Priscilla Northwest left the room, leaving her daughter behind with more questions than answers.

* * *

 _~X~_

* * *

"Grunkle Stan, you're somewhat of an expert on humans, right?"

"Kid, how many times do I have to tell ya to stop usin' my brother's term for people? It wastes time an' it wastes gems." Stan grumbled, checking the wing of an albino Humbird Dragon carefully before handing it to his nephew. "What brings up the subject anywho?"

"Well." Dipper shuffled his feet, looking at the small dragon in his arms. "Hu—I mean, people don't normally tend to come into the woods, right? 'Cause of all the dragons that live here?"

"Uh, yeah. For normal people anyway." Stan shrugged reaching into one of the box dens and taking out another Humbird Dragon. "An' honestly? The only people who'd be dumb enough ta come out here are people who don't have the proper knowledge of the area." He glanced at Dipper as he put the dragon back in its den. "That, an' the occasional riffraff or teen that jus' wanna get away from their life. It doesn't happen too often an' they don't make it this far out in the woods. Sixer **really** didn't want anyone findin' this place."

"What if they were following their dragon? Like ah, a Tiger Stripe Black Claw?"

"The only people who I know that have those types of dragons are those rich snob type of people that don't deserve ta have those or any type of dragon they get their grubby hands on. They lose their dragon, too bad. They buy another one to replace the old one. That's how it all goes do in their world."

"Sooo, there's no chance of them coming back again, right? They could just, walk away and never return."

"Eh. Wouldn't really say never." Stan huffed, petting a dragon on top of its head. "See, unexpected thin's can happen a lot. An' I mean _a lot_." Walking over to his nephew, he took the dragon, holding it in one of his hands. "Take this feather ball here fer example. Humbird Dragons feathers are usually blue mixed in with purple. But this lil gal is white all over!" He bent down, holding the dragon to Dipper's eye level. "Didn't expect her ta be albino now did we?"

"Nope." Dipper ran a hand down the dragons back. "Her egg looked exactly the same as all the other eggs in the nest."

"Bingo!" Stan smiled, ruffling Dippers hair as the boy laughed. "There's no tellin' what will happen like, findin' a multi gem, or a rare never been seen before species, or fallin' down some stairs, or you and yer sister runnin' into someone yesterday."

A cold chill went down Dipper's spine as he stopped petting the Humbird Dragon. "Uh, wh-what?"

"Come on kid, ya ain't foolin' this old man." Stan rolled his eyes, putting the dragon down. "I know when you're tryin' to hide somethin' from me. Especially when you're askin' me about somethin' you know Ford won't like to hear about."

"I-I-I, uh, we-well, um—"

"Hey." Dipper paused, looking at his uncle as Stan grinned softly down at him. "Don't worry. Your secrets safe with me." Stan nudged him lightly, winking with a showmen grin on his face.

Stunned a bit, Dipper sighed in relief. "I don't want to tell Great-uncle Ford about this, but I'm still a little worried." He confessed, rubbing his arms and glancing to the ground. "We ran into this Tiger Stripe Black Claw Dragon while we were in the woods and well, he wasn't alone. Well, they were alone at first but then their owner found us."

"Ya ran into a person?"

"More like someone around mine and Mabel's age." He shrugged. "She was… not what Great-uncle Ford described people to be."

A snort of laughter shot out from Stan. "Course not! Wha'd expect? Tall? Big? Carrying various weapons an' disease? Please. Those people are in bad movies with bad actin'."

"Yeah, well. She was kinda rude, and a bit stuck up. Plus she had that scent. The one you know instantly Grunkle Stan."

"What? Ya mean the scent that snob people usually have?"

"Um-hm. That's the one. It was all around her."

"Okay, so, what else?"

"Well, her name was Pacifica and she was a bit lost so we pointed her towards the direction you usually use to go into town. That's when a Hyper Curve Horn Bullhog Dragon attacked. And long story short, we met a girl, her name was Pacifica, we met her dragon, she got attacked by another dragon, we stepped in to save her, annnnnnnd that's it. I'm just…" He rubbed his hands together, fidgeting a bit as he bit his lower lip. "Just worried. She saw us. She saw where we were going! I could have accidentally led her to our home! What if she comes back again?! Or-or worse?! What if she tells other people and _they_ find our home?!"

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Easy there kiddo! Easy!" Stan clasped a hand on his shoulder. "Deep breaths kid. Deep breaths."

Dipper took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and repeated till his heart rate went back to normal.

"Don't get all freaked out kiddo. That's Ford's job, an' I can only handle his flip outs so much 'for I get enough of it an' clock him in the jaw. Now listen, I'm gonna ask ya a few questions, an' you think about them _very_ carefully before answering them, 'ky?"

Dipper nodded his head.

"Okay. First question, were you an' your sister anywhere near the shack when ya ran into this girl?"

He thought back, thinking carefully. "No. We were far out when we ran into them."

"Mky, second question, did you give any slight indication where we live?"

"I… She did over hear me and Mabel talking a bit about you and Great-uncle Ford, but other than that no."

"Okay, final question. Did ya show her any way you use to get to the shack?"

"Well, after we saved her from the rouge dragon, we kinda took off. Though we did run around a bit just to make sure that we weren't being followed."

"An' there ya go!" Stan stood, popping his spine back into place. "Problem solved."

"Wha? But, but Grunkle Stan!"

"Look Dipper, as long as she doesn't know the _exact spot_ to where we live or have any clue to where she needs to go to find it, we're safe. She's not goin' to find this place so easily." He swept his hands around the room. "So don't go thinkin' into it too much. Besides, if she's smart enough she'll know never to come back again. Can't risk getting' attacked again right?"

"Yeah… hey yeah! There's no way she'd come back after having such a close call from yesterday!"

"Right! So forget 'bout yer worryin'. The shacks safe from bein' found anytime soon an' you're in the clear." Stan patted Dipper on the head. "But, uh, let's make sure an' not tell Ford 'bout yesterday. Don't want him jumpin' into conclusions an' thinkin' we're not safe here anymore."

"Gotcha."

"Atta boy Dipper. Now, help me finishin' up with checking these dragons. Few of them might be ready to go to the Dragons Den tomorrow an'… what's with the look kid?"

Dipper frowned. "Grunkle Stan, I know Great-uncle Ford made you promise not to bring us anywhere near the edge of the forest or the Dragons Den, but…" He sighed, rubbing his arm up and down. "But really, _really_ want to see what's so grand about that place and it's the only place I want to see."

"… Really? The Dragons Den is the _only_ place you want to see?" A brow went up on Stan's face as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"… Okay, so I maybe want to see a bit of the town too."

"Look kiddo. I know how you feel. But I can't go back on my word with my brother. I know ya want to see more out there, an' I know yer tired of bein' cooped up here. I know 'cause of how long I've been hangin' around Sixer all my life." Stan frowned, watching as his nephew's face fell. "The point is, Ford wants what's best for all of us. Grant it, it's a bit much of what he does. But it jus' shows how much he cares for this family."

"Can't you do anything to change his mind? Anything at all?"

"You know my brother. He's not goin' to easily crack an' change his mind so easily. Heck! The day he allows you gremlins will be the day I admit that I cheapskate my business to the whole town."

Just then, the door swung open and crashed against the wall as a super hyper Mabel came running, making both male Pines and dragons jump in startled surprise. "HE SAID YES! HE SAID YES! HE SAID YEESSSSSSSSSS!" She screamed, running around and startling the dragons more than enough to take flight and fly around wildly.

"Mabel! Calm down! You're scarin' the dragons!" Stan shouted after his niece as Ford came running in, leaning against the doorway as he heaved in air. "Sixer! What in the hot over cakes did ya say to her?!" He stomped of to his twin as Dipper chased after his own.

"G-give…" Ford gasped, breathing in deeply and letting it out. "Gi-give me a minute…" He hunched over, mumbling in between breaths of how fast kids these days are.

It took a moment for Dipper to catch his sister, lunging on her and pinning her to the ground. "Ha! Got ya!" Both twins laughed as they got up. "Mabel, what are you so hyped up about? You haven't gotten this excited since you made your first shawl when we were five."

"O! M! G! Dipper!" Mabel sprang up, grabbing her brother's shoulders. "You are not going to _believe_ this! Okay! So Grunkle Ford and me were just coming back from the forge and you will **_not_** believe how hot it was in there todaysoanywaywewerejustfinishingupthelastbitofworkandwewerejusttalkingandyouwon'tBELIEVEITBUTWHENIASKEDHIMIFWECOULDFINALLYSEEWHATTHETOWNLOOKEDLIKEDHESAIDNOATFIRSTBUTTHENWHENIASKEDHIMABOUTGRUNKLESTANWORKANDASKEDIFWECOULDATLEASTSEE **THATANDHESTARTEDTOTHINKITOVERANDTHENHERECONSIDEDREDBECAUSEHETHINKSTHATWEREOLDENOUGHTOTAKECAREOFOURSELVESEASILYAND** ** _HESAIDYESDIPPER!HESAIDYES!_** " She breathed heavily, holding her arms up in the air as Dipper stared at his twin. Mabel then proceeded to fall backwards and lay flat on the ground.

"… uh, can someone translate?" Stan commented, looking between his great-nephew and his brother.

"What Mabel is trying to say." Ford straightened out, fixing his glasses back into place. "Is that I may have reconsidered some revocations."

"Huh?"

Ford sighed, rolling his eyes. "I'm allowing both Dipper and Mabel to go see the Dragons Den."

"WHAT?!"

"Whoa! Wait, Are You Serious?!" Dipper looked at his uncle in shock.

"Positive." Ford grinned. "Though there will be some rules and restrictions that need to be put down if this is going to happen. Since you and your sister are old enough and seem to be capable enough, I think it's only fair that you both are allowed some degree of free ground away from the shack."

"I! I! I! I don't believe it!" A wide smile broke out across Dipper's face. "I must be dreaming! Mabel! Quick! Pinch me!"

Mabel sat up, pinching some of the skin of her brother's extended arm.

"OW! I'm Not Dreaming! HA HA! This is the best day of my life!" Dipper cheered as he suddenly ran off laughing. Mabel followed after, laughing along as well as the excitement of their newfound freedom rushed through their bodies. The Stan twins watch as the younger set of Pine twins left the room, leaving the two standing behind as the dragons began to settle down from the sudden ruckus.

"… Annnnn' now you've started the apocalypse. Great goin' poindexter."

"Yes, well, it was bound to happen sooner or later." Ford huffed, taking off his glasses and cleaned they well the entails of his coat. "I suspected that they would react this way."

" **I** didn't expect you to allow them to leave the shack!" Stan swung his arms out, emphasizing his point. "What made ya change your mind Sixer?"

"As I said earlier Stanley." He slipped his glasses back on. "They've proven to be capable and old enough to leave and explore some of their surroundings. Grant it, there will be some rules that I need to put—"

"Hold it right there poindexter." Stan held up one hand, stopping his brother in mid-sentence. "If there's goin' to be some rules laid down 'round **_my_** shop." He slung an arm over Ford's shoulders, bring him close. "They're gonna have to be rules that agree to **_my_** terms an' conditions." A grin brook out on his face as his brother groaned.

"I had a funny feeling you would say that." He sighed and allowed Stan to lead him out the door.

* * *

 _~X~_

* * *

 _ **2002**_

* * *

 _~X~_

* * *

 _Stan sighed, leaning back in his chair as he watched the young twins' chests rise and fall as they slept. He enjoyed these moments. Seeing they sleep so easily without worry put some ease to his heart._

 _They were young, innocent. They didn't have to worry of the dangers of the night or fear of getting jumped on by crooks or thieves. They shouldn't need to worry. Stan had made sure that they had everything they needed to be happy and safe._

 _Even if cost him down to the last small green gem in his pocket._

 _"_ _Are they asleep?"_

 _"…_ _yeah. Clocked out over half an hour ago." Stan huffed, not taking his eyes off the twins as the door creaked open and soft footfalls of boots came over._

 _"…_ _Stan… listen, I'm sorry."_

 _"_ _Ya should be."_

 _"_ _I know. I know. What I did today was… uncalled for. And greatly irresponsible."_

 _"_ _An' why do you think that is Stanford?" Stan twisted his head, shooting a glare at his twin. "Out of the two of us, you should have been more responsible Sixer. I mean, you're always one ta talk 'bout keepin' us safe an' all, but when I leave an' come back, I learn that ya nearly got you and the kids_ **killed** _." He saw Ford flinch, biting the innards of his mouth. Sighing, he clasped a hand on his brother's arm. "Look, Ford, ya remember what ya said to me? The day that ya found me in the gutter?"_

 _A perplexed look crossed Ford's face before it melted away. "I said that two halves should stick together to make one whole better. Meaning that you and I should stick together and work as a team back in those years on our own."_

 _"_ _Yeah, but those years are done now." He glanced at the small twins, smiling softly as they snuggled close to each other. "We've got two new halves that need our care poindexter. We can't do what we did in the past. That's good an'_ _ **gone**_ _… If we are goin' to live like family, we need to act an' work like family."_

 _A soft sigh was heard before the arm moved away and Stan found himself being hugged at the side by his brother. "You're right." Ford's voice came out muffled, burying his head in the crook of Stan's neck. "They are gone, aren't they? Gone by time that's never coming back… no matter how much someone wishes for them back…" His last words were soft, almost quite, seemingly talking more to himself than to Stan._

 _"…"_ _Stan only sighed, leaning his head against Ford's. "Tomorrow, you an' me are going to have a loooong talk."_

* * *

 _ **Svaqvat gur fznyy gjvaf jnf abg gur Fgnaf cyna, jura gurl pnzr npebff gurz ba gurve geniryf va gur qrfreg ynaq.**_

 _ **Vg tnir gurz n sevtug, frrvat ab cnerag va fvtug.**_

 _ **Fb xabjvat jung jnf evtug, gjb arj Cvarf jrer obea gung irel avtug.**_


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